Faces of The Fellowship: Asya

The Fellowship  |  July 16, 2020

Elderly Asya can barely stand or walk, she is almost blind, toothless, and can’t hear well. Her deteriorating health means she struggles with everyday tasks, like making a simple cup of tea. Without Fellowship-supported Hesed and the homecare we provide her, Asya wouldn’t survive.

“Last winter, I could walk and do some things by myself. But now, I cannot even get a glass of water for myself. When I walk outside. I do not know where to go [because of my eyesight].”

Her Russian home is in desperate need of repair. The walls are falling apart, the roof leaks, and there are cracks everywhere in the floor.

Even among all this despair, when her Hesed homecare worker visits, Asya wears a beautiful smile and sings songs, showing her aide a little bit of the person she was in her youth — a strong, joyful, hardworking woman. The homecare worker, Natasha, brings so much joy to Asya’s life. Together, they act like mother and daughter. “Besides her I’ve got nobody who would visit me. Nobody!” says Asya. Sadly, Asya’s own son rarely visits her.

When Asya remembers what she’s gone through in her life, she gets stressed out and only repeats: “I wouldn’t wish it even to my enemies.” Her youth was broken by the war. Her Jewish family was not evacuated, and then the Nazis occupied her hometown; her family only survived because a Russian family hid them. When the war ended, her mother was too weak and frail and died in her arms. Asya has been grieving ever since, and doesn’t like to go into detail about the war years because it’s so painful.

She talks about being hungry before and after the war, and without The Fellowship’s care, she’d be hungry again.

Her homecare worker Natasha is the only person in Asya’s life who she can depend on. “There is no one around I can ask for help except my homecare worker. I cannot do anything for myself now. I feel like Natasha is my daughter.” Asya feels like she has family in her life again, thanks to Fellowship friends around the world who make this care possible.

How You Can Help

God promises to “bless those who bless [Israel].” You can take part in His promise by being a blessing to a lonely elderly Jewish person who has nowhere else to turn. Learn more.